Stick Around
by I'veGottaGay
Summary: So, this isn't a Victorious story. It's Graham/Ariana story, but I think that it's pretty good, so please read and review! I used videos, facts, and pictures I've seen/heard from their real relationship and wove in. K for now, but maybe T later.
1. 13 – Recording

**A/N: So this isn't a Victorious Story, and I'm really sorry but I had no idea where else to put it! It's Graham Phillips and Ariana Grande because I think they made the cutest couple. Please don't report me! I just wrote it because I really wanted to and I was requested to by a reviewer. So, enjoy and review! Comments, criticism, feedback, and advice are very welcome :]**

* * *

13 - Recording

Graham walks into the studio, nervous. A blonde girl walks up to him, looking shaken as well. She has freckles all over her face and a tremulous smile.

"I'm Allie," she says with a small wave. Graham nods and smiles back.

"I'm Graham." Allie looks down at her feet awkwardly, then looks back up at him, her small smile still in place.

"What part are you playing?" she asks.

"Um, Evan Goldman," Graham says. "How about you?"

"Patrice."

"Cool." Graham and Allie simply stand there nodding for a few more moments, and Graham pulls his phone from his pocket.

"Oh my god, Aaron!" a squeal rings from the doorway. "We're _here!_" Graham's head whips around to stare at the newcomers. One is a thin, friendly-looking boy. The other is a wide-eyed brunette. She's beautiful.

She's holding the boy's hand and dragging him forward. She seems like she's so full of energy and life. She seems so special.

"Ari! Ari, you're going to rip my arm out!" the boy chuckles, trying to pull away from the sunny brunette.

"Aren't you _excited?_" she squeaks, still holding onto him tightly.

"Help me, someone!" the boy cries out, sending a pleading look towards Graham and Allie. The blonde smiles and heads towards the pair, probably grateful to see someone besides the ever unresponsive Graham. Spurred into action, Graham heads towards the cute girl and the scrawny boy.

"Hey, I'm Graham," he says to the two other kids.

"I'm Aaron, and the crazy chica trying to pull my arm out of its socket is Ariana," the boy says, shooting an accusatory glare at Ariana.

"Hi Graham," Ariana says, smiling at him. Graham decides that he really likes that smile. He likes the single dimple on her left cheek too.

"Hi, I'm Allie," Allie says, smiling broadly. Ariana and Aaron smile back at her. Well, Aaron smiles. Ariana beams.

"Hi Allie!" Ariana chirps. Just then, a man walks into the room, clapping his hands.

"Alright! Aaron, Allie, Graham," he says. "We're going to start recording today. I'm Jason Robert Brown, and I think we can start with "The Lamest Place in the World. Allie, I want you in one." He points at the booth labeled one. She nods and heads over, grabbing a bottle of water on the way.

"I'm so excited for you," Graham hears Ariana say to Aaron. Aaron smiles and throws an arm around her shoulder. Then he leans towards her and whispers something in her ear. Graham can't help but feel left out and a tiny bit jealous.

Ariana appears to notice him standing alone with his hands in his pockets while Aaron continues to speak softly in her ear, and she catches his eye, motioning for him to come over and sit with them.

"What? No," Graham hears her murmur back. "We've been here for five minutes!" Aaron just shrugs, then looks up at Graham with a smile.

"So, what part are you playing?" he asks. Graham observes that Aaron has a lisp of sorts.

"Evan. What about you?"

"Archie. The cripple," he says dryly. Graham nods, then turns to Ariana. She smiles up at him. Her eyes are really big and sparkly.

"I'm playing Charlotte," she says, saving him from having to stutter out his question again. He nods. He's pretty sure that Evan sings a song with Charlotte at some point. He finds himself wondering how well she sings.

"_Down the road is a Dairy Queen. Up the block is a Wal-Mart,_" Allie sings. She's fantastic. Ariana's eyes grow wide, and her face lights up. She turns to Aaron, her smile bright and contagious.

"Isn't she…" Ariana trails off when she sees Aaron's face. He looks dazed, and he's staring at Allie with his mouth partially open. Ariana giggles and pokes his cheek. He snaps back to reality, blinking quickly.

"Yeah she's… yeah," Aaron stammers, shaking his head quickly. Ariana sighs and turns to Graham with a raised eyebrow.

"That was fast." Aaron's eyes refocus again, and he stumbles to defend himself.

"She's just a good singer!" he denies. "That's all. I was just… surprised."

"Uh huh," Ariana teases. She looks at Graham again. "He totally likes her, right?" Graham nods, smiling – half because they're funny, and half because he's glad they're not going out.

"Oh yeah, definitely," he says. Ariana nods self-assuredly and pokes her tongue out at Aaron.

"See? Graham says I'm right, and Graham is… Graham!"

"What does that mean?" Aaron and Graham say at the same time. Ariana shrugs and smiles at Graham.

"I don't know. But he's cute!" Graham flushes at this, and he wishes Aaron wouldn't look at him so critically.

"Alright, whatever," Aaron mutters with a small smile on his face. Ariana lightly punches him on the shoulder, then glances over at where Allie has finished and is coming out of the booth.

"Great job Allie," Jason is saying. "Okay, can I have you in two?" Then he beckons Aaron and Graham over. "And can I have Aaron in one and Graham in three?" The boys nod and head over to where they need to be.

"_If that's what it is, then that's what it is. You're probably right to just forget it," _Aaron begins. He's really good, and Graham thinks that he he'll be an awesome Artie. His voice is slightly tremulous, but not in a weak way. More like in a passionate way.

Graham follows along as Allie sings,

"_I say I won't cry, I cry until dawn!_" He sees Ariana sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Jason, writing something. Then he hears his cue and focuses back on the music.

"_I'm becoming a man_," he sings, looking down at the lyrics to make sure he's getting the words right.

* * *

When the song ends, he steps out of the booth and takes a sip from his water bottle. It's really bad water. Kirkland, or something.

"That was so good!" Ariana says, skipping over to him. Her chocolate brown eyes are shining with amazement. Graham blushes and scratches the back of his neck, grinning like a fool.

"Thanks," he says bashfully. Ariana smiles, her dimple showing again which makes Graham's heart swell up in his chest, and it feels like he might burst. "Uh, what were you doing when we were singing?" he asks, curious.

"Homework," she says, rolling her eyes. Her eyebrows furrow. "But I'm not too great at science. Formulas, and stuff are hard to remember." Graham perks up. Science is his best subject.

"D-do you want me to help you?" he offers nervously. _Do I sound like a pretentious nerd? Or an overeager freak?_ Graham wonders, panicked.

"Would you really?" she asks, eyes wide, and Graham's fears melt away. He nods.

"Yeah, totally. I mean, I'm pretty good at science. Like, I'm _okay_ at science," Graham corrects, not wanting to sound full of it.

"Oh my gosh, that's so sweet of you!" Ariana squeals, throwing her arms around him, one looped around his neck, the other under his arm. Graham's face burns as blood rushes to it. He breathes in Ariana's sweet scent (she smells like vanilla and sunshine) and hugs her back. He's feeling a little lightheaded. "Can we start now?" she asks.

"Sure, if you want to," Graham says. He looks over at Jason to see if they should be doing something, but he's directing Allie into booth three to record another song, and Aaron is watching intently.

"Okay," Ariana says, skipping over to her notebook and grabbing it. Graham really likes how full of life she is. Like a breath of fresh air.

"So, what are you taking?" he asks.

"Chemistry," she says, sighing and sitting down next to Graham. He smiles and leans close, looking at her homework. It's chemical bonds and water chemistry stuff. He learned it all last year in pre-chemistry.

"Okay, so…"

Graham spends the next twenty minutes hunched over worksheets and formulas with the girl of his dreams. Once, while they were sitting so close together that Graham's chin was practically on Ariana's shoulder, she turned her head to ask him something and her lips brushed his cheek. She pulled back, surprised to find him so close to her, and the moment passed. Graham's not even sure if she realizes what happened.

"Ari!" Aaron calls, motioning for her sit next to him. Graham pulls away from her and stretches – sitting in the same position for such a long time froze up his muscles.

"Coming!" she calls and closes her binder. She sets it down next to her, then wraps her arms around Graham one more time, surprising him. What surprises him even more though, is the kiss she plants on his cheek (intentionally this time) when she hugs him.

"Thanks so much!" she whispers in his ear, then she skips away to join Aaron, leaving a blushing Graham behind.

Graham sits back down heavily, his hand on his cheek.

"Wow!" a voice from behind him says, and he turns around quickly, his hand falling from his face. Two girls walk in together, arm in arm. One is African-American, the other is white. They both look kind of annoying, in Graham's opinion.

"Oh my god," another girl says, laughing. She's wearing a white tank top with a peace sign on it. That's the first thing Graham notices. The second is that she is definitely playing Lucy.

The others begin to file in, one by one. He learns their names slowly. Delaney is a tall, thin, blonde girl with bangs and unrivaled enthusiasm. She's clearly Kendra. He thinks she might be a little too sunny.

Elizabeth is a calm, levelheaded brunette who forms an instants connection with Ariana. He was right, and she _is_ Lucy. She's nice, but can be bitingly sarcastic.

Eric is basically the definition of _cool_. He has the skater hair, the charming attitude, and the good looks. He's a definite Brett.

Eamon is hilarious. He's not afraid to make a fool of himself, and it's great to talk to and laugh with someone who doesn't care about looking dumb. He's Richie, one of Brett's little minions.

Beyond them, Graham sort of loses interest in who's who. He zones out, staring at Ariana's pink chemistry binder, until Jason calls out.

"Brynn! Caitlin! Ariana! I want you in two, three, and four." Graham sits up then, looking around. Everyone else seems to be on top of things and ready. They're already starting to head into the booth for the company, so Graham hops up and follows them.

"What song are we doing?" he asks Allie.

"Brand New You," she replies quickly, moving to her position. Graham nods, then stands next to Eamon and Elizabeth in front of the music stands. He puts the headphones on, then Jason holds his hands up, indicating that they're starting.

He hears Brynn start, and sure she's good, but he doesn't really care. He's waiting for Ariana to sing. He wants to hear her.

"_I never knew where I was meant to be_," Ariana sings, and Graham's mouth falls open. She's incredible. He loves the way her voice sounds. It's like a young Christina Aguilera, but slightly breathier and more passionate. It's soothing. "_I figured no one would be there for me_," she continues, and Graham thinks, _I'll always be there for you_.

Then Caitlin starts singing and the spell is broken. He stops gawking like a moron and gets ready to sing.

* * *

"You have a beautiful voice," Graham tells Ariana later, when they're getting ready to go home. She blushes and looks down at the floor.

"Thanks," she mumbles. Then she looks up at him. "Do you want to come get donuts with me and Aaron? It's kind of a tradition for us."

"That sounds really cool," Graham says. He looks over at his mom, who's standing by the door. She nods and smiles at him. Graham turns back to Ariana and Aaron's expectant faces and nods, hoping he doesn't look too eager.

"Awesome. Let's go," Aaron says, turning around. Ariana nods and follows him out the door. Graham hurries after them, grabbing Ariana's chemistry notebook from where she left it on the bench.

In the parking lot outside of the recording studio, Graham jogs to catch up with the two. He hands Ariana her binder, chuckling at the way her eyes grow round.

"Oh my gosh, you saved my life!" Ariana squeals, hugging Graham for the third time that day. He scratches the back of his neck, blushing.

"I figured, after I worked so hard to help you, it would be a shame to leave it in there," he says, chuckling. Ariana nods and takes the binder from him, still beaming from ear to ear.

"You're like, my hero," she says, smiling. Graham shrugs and looks away.

"It's not a big deal," he mumbles. Aaron rescues him by cutting in before an awkward silence could begin.

"My mom's here," he tells them. Ariana nods and her, Graham, and Aaron get into Mrs. Gross' car.

When they get to Dunkin' Donuts, they hop out. Aaron and Ariana practically bounce to the cashier, and Graham follows the pair with a smile on his face.

After Ariana and Aaron have both gotten chocolate donuts and Graham has a glazed one, the three sit down together at a table – Aaron and Ariana on one side, Graham on the other. Aaron is the first to speak.

"So, where are you from?" he asks.

"Um, Laguna Beach," Graham responds. "What about you?" He directs the question at both of them, even though Ariana's just sipping her milk through a straw and listening.

"We're both from Boca Raton, Florida," Aaron answers for her. Ariana puts down her milk and nods.

"Yeah. Our parents don't know what to do with themselves. They think it's so crazy that two best friends from Boca Raton, Florida are going to be in a Broadway musical," she says, and all Graham thinks is that he can listen to her talk for hours on end. Days. Weeks. Forever, really.

They finish their donuts while they talk about themselves. Graham learns that Ariana has an older brother named Frankie, and that they're really close. He learns that her favorite color is pink, and her favorite fruits are mangoes and strawberries. She enjoys acting and dancing, but her passion is singing, and her biggest fear is fire. She loves shoes, Marilyn Monroe, and Harry Potter.

And she's perfect. When the day's over and it's time to go home, she stands up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek once more.


	2. 13 – Rehearsals

July 7, 2008.

"_If you want a girl, the girl you want is Kendra_," Aaron sings, and Graham's supposed to be staring at Delaney, but he can't get his eyes off of Ariana in her cheerleading uniform. She's waving her pom-poms around and she just looks so bubbly and beautiful.

"Hold on!" Jason calls out from where he stands. Aaron stops, confused.

"Is something wrong?" he asks.

"Graham! Evan's supposed to be staring at Kendra, not Charlotte! Get your eyes off of Ariana for a second!" he hollers, and Graham blushes a deep scarlet. Aaron pokes him with his crutch, chuckling.

"Sorry," Graham mutters, embarrassed. He looks up nervously to see Ariana biting her lip and smiling softly at him.

"Let's try it again!" Jason calls, and they start the scene over.

"_There's the cool kids. There's the preps, and there's the skate punks and the jocks. And then there's me. There's the losers. There's the nerds, and there's the stoners and the Goths. And then there's me. But then there's you_," Aaron sings and points to Graham with his crutch, something that makes Graham feel uncomfortable because he plays the part so well. It's a little creepy.

Anyways, Aaron continues to sing, and Graham continues to zone in and out of focus. He catches himself staring at Ariana several times, and has to snap back to Delaney before Jason sees.

* * *

After rehearsal that day, Graham sits in his dressing room with Eric.

"Hey, what do you think about Liz?" Eric asks, sitting down in front of the mirror, next to Graham.

"What about her?" Graham asks, confused.

"I mean, do you think she'd like me?" Graham thinks for a moment. He talks to Liz all the time, since she shares a dressing room with Ariana, but he doesn't really _know_ her.

"I don't know," Graham answers truthfully. Eric sighs and drops his head down onto his arms.

"God, she's so hot!" he whines. Then he peers at Graham out of the corner of his eyes. A sly smirk crawls up his features as he says, "Ariana's smoking hot too. I'd tap that." Graham stiffens, but stares out the window to avoid strangling his friend.

Eric picks his head up from the table and casually begins to play with the strings of his sweatshirt while he continues to talk.

"I mean, she's so innocent, and I'd totally love me a piece of that fine, Italian-"

"I get it!" Graham snaps, cutting Eric off.

"Oh? What's wrong?" Eric teases. "Why can't I talk about her like that. It's not like you're going out with her." This time, Graham's head hits the counter.

"I know," he grumbles. Eric looks surprised by Graham's sudden mood swing.

"Whoa, I'm sorry dude, I was just kidding," Eric stutters, patting Graham's back awkwardly.

"You're right, though," Graham mutters darkly.

"Why don't you just ask her out then?" Eric asks. Graham shrugs. They've known each other for a couple of months now, so why doesn't he? It's a good question.

"Why don't you ask Liz out?" Graham asks, not trying to be snappy. He's genuinely curious, because he thinks that it might answer his own dilemma.

"You know what? We'll double date. You ask out your lady and I'll ask out mine," Eric says bravely, puffing himself up in a very Brett-like gesture. Graham nods slowly. It sounds like a pretty good idea.

"Alright," he agrees hesitantly.

"Great, let's do it now," Eric says quickly, then stands up and runs out the door. Graham stares at the doorway for a moment, stunned, then scrambles to follow his friend.

"Hey! Where are you going?" he cries at Eric's retreating back. Eric's blonde head whips around as he replies,

"I'm asking her before I lose my nerve!" Graham sighs, knowing that if he doesn't hurry, Eric's going to ask Liz and Ariana will think that he chickened out or something. With this in mind, Graham speeds up, overtaking Eric close to the stairs that lead up to the girls' dressing rooms.

They boys skid to a stop outside of the door marked 'Elizabeth Gillies and Ariana Grande.' They stand there, staring at the decorations for a few seconds, neither wanting to be the one to knock on the door.

"You knock," Eric whispers harshly.

"No, you do it!" Graham shoots back. "It was your idea!"

"Yeah, so you should knock!"

"What? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Yeah it does!"

"No it doesn't!"

"Just do it!" Eric commands, and Graham is about to respond when the door swings open. Ariana stands in the doorway, an eyebrow raised and her hand on the door handle. She makes eye contact with Graham, looking bemused.

"Who is it, Ari?" Liz calls from inside, and Graham and Eric slowly turn to face the door, looking guilty.

"Graham and Eric," she says. She sounds confused.

"Let them in," Liz says, leaning over so the boys can see her past Ariana. Ari nods and steps aside so the boys can go into the small dressing room.

Graham finds himself standing very, very close to Ariana in the cramped space, his back to Eric. Eric's facing Liz who's sitting next to the window. Ari's looking up at him quizzically, her back pressed against the now closed door.

"Uh," Graham says incoherently. He formulated a plan on the way over, but now, staring to Ariana's big brown eyes, he can't seem to remember what he wanted to say.

"So, Liz," he hears Eric say, sounding slightly less stupid. Eric motions between Graham and himself. "Graham and I were wondering if… if…"

"If you wanted to go out with me," Graham finishes, looking searchingly at Ariana. Her expression changes from puzzled to radiant. She nods and throws her arms around his neck, smiling brightly.

"I'd love to!" she giggles into his ear. Relief floods through him, then joy takes its place. _She said yes,_ he thought ecstatically. Graham looks over to where Eric is grinning and talking to Liz. Then he holds Ariana tighter and breathes in her sweet perfume.

She pulls away, and all Graham can do is look into her eyes, gawking like a moron. She giggles opens her mouth to say something, but someone knocks on the door behind her, causing her jaw to snap shut.

"Who is it?" Ariana asks cheerfully, whirling around in the confined space and taking a step backwards practically _into_ Graham (which he doesn't mind) to open the door.

"It's me and Allie," Aaron says. He notices the inordinate amount of people in the tiny dressing room and raises an eyebrow.

"Hey!" Allie chirps, leaning around Aaron. Eric waves and Liz smiles. "Aaron and I were just going to see Hancock. It came out last Tuesday. Does anyone want to come?" Liz steps around Eric, a hand on her hip.

"So, are you two like, a thing now?" she asks, waving her finger back and forth between the two of them. Allie turns pink and retreats around Aaron, letting him answer.

"Uh, no, we're not together. We're just going as, um, as friends. And, um, we're just friends…" he trails off and Ariana giggles, her back still pressed against Graham. Graham reaches his arms around her waist to lock them around her, pulling her body flush against his. He buries his face into her neck, and the smell of her perfume enchants him, filling his brain and making it hard to think.

"Are you guys together?" Allie asks, her head poking out from behind Aaron again. She shoots an accusatory glance towards Graham's arms wrapped around Ariana. Then her gaze shifts to Eric and Liz.

"Graham and I are," Ariana says, leaning back against Graham. She fits against him so perfectly, and it makes a warm feeling bubble up in his chest. He squeezes her tighter, the butterflies flying out of his stomach and into his esophagus threatening to choke him. He loves the feeling.

"So are me and Liz," Eric says, sounding like he can't believe himself.

"Aww that's cute!" Allie giggles, then seems to remember that she and Aaron were under question. Her head disappears once more.

"Do you want to go?" Graham whispers into Ari's ear. He feels her nod, her hair brushing across his face, and he pulls his head away from her neck, standing up straight. He nods to Aaron.

"Ari and I will come."

"So will me and Eric," Liz adds, pulling her phone from her back pocket. Then she makes a 'get out' motion with her hand, saying "Can we please get out of this tiny little dressing room now?"

Ariana nods and pulls the door as far open as she can before sliding out over the counter. Once she's out, Graham yanks the door open all the way. Then he steps out, closely followed by Liz and Eric.

"Told you," Graham hears Aaron mutter to Ariana. She pushes his shoulder playfully, rolling her eyes.

"You totally had no idea what you were talking about!"

"I just knew it. I could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at you in the recording studio," Aaron murmurs, and the pieces click together in Graham's head. That's what Aaron was saying to Ariana earlier, back when they first met. She protested then, and she's protesting now. Graham steps close to Ariana, wrapping his arms around her again.

"I definitely had a huge crush on you when I first saw you. You're beautiful and so special and incredible. I knew that, no matter what, I had to have you." Ariana blushes and smiles down at the ground, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. Graham holds her tighter, kissing the top of her head.

"Aw, look at the happy couple," Liz sneers as she walks by and flicks the back of Graham's head. Eric grabs her around the waist and picks her up, swinging her feet off of the ground, and she squeals.

"Look at the happy couple," Graham teases back. Liz flips him the bird, then tries to wiggle her way out of Eric's arms, but he holds her tightly.

Then Ari's phone rings and she pulls it from the pocket of her shorts and holds it up to her ear.

"Hello?" Graham sees her eyes widen a bit as she winces, and he can hear a male voice screaming on the other end. Ariana steps away from him, pulling away from his arms, and nods at something the voice bellowed at her.

"Y-yes… I… I'll be home soon. I was just… Please, no… I'm so sorry…" Graham doesn't like what he can hear of the phone conversation. Ariana then hangs up her phone with trembling fingers and stares hard at the ground.

"Is everything all right?" Graham asks, his voice low. The others have already left, so it's just him and Ariana. Ariana nods and forces a thin, shaky smile.

"Yeah. I just… I need to go home."

"Do you want me to come with you in the cab?" Graham offers.

"No!" Ariana responds quickly. Then she shakes her head and corrects herself. "I mean, no thank you. I'm okay." Graham sighs. Ariana's determined to head home right now, alone. He grabs her shoulders and brings her in for a tight hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he murmurs into her hair. Then he releases her. She turns away quickly, waving and turning the corner. Graham sighs and leans against the wall, staring at the spot she stood in a few seconds ago.

* * *

July 8, 2008.

Graham walks into the theater, his hands in his jean pockets.

"Hi Graham!" Delaney chirps, walking arm-in-arm with Allie.

"Hey," he says, nodding to them. As they continue to stroll by, heading to Broadway no doubt, he asks, "Have either of you seen Ariana?"

"Nope," Allie says, shaking her head. Delaney, however, nods slowly.

"I think I saw her… Um, she was with Aaron, I think. You might want to ask him." She nods again, as if she's confirming her statement. Then her and Allie continue on their way, down to see the sights.

Graham heads inside, his hands back in his pockets. He spies a penny on the ground, dirty and worn. He bends down and picks it up. Maybe it'll bring him luck. With this thought in mind, he thrusts his fists, the penny clenched tightly in the right one, into his pockets once more.

He heads into the huge building, looking around for either Ariana or Aaron. First, he heads to each of their dressing rooms, knocking several times. Of course, they're not in there because that would just be too easy, now wouldn't it? Next, he tries his and Eric's dressing room. Just Eric. Finally, he heads for the auditorium.

Immediately, he hears singing. He opens the doors as quietly as possible and he steps inside. Standing on stage is Ariana, her hands wrapped around a microphone that sits atop a mic stand. Her eyes are closed and she's belting out,

"_It's so hard to say goodbye, when it comes to this. Would you tell me I was wrong? Would you help me understand? Are you looking down on me? Are you proud of who I am?"_ Her voice is beautiful.

When she finishes, Graham claps slowly. Her head snaps up, and her eyes blink wide open to meet his.

"Graham!" she squeaks, stepping away from the microphone quickly. "When did you get here?"

"About a minute ago," Graham shrugs. He strolls over to where Ariana is, his hands in his pockets once more. He can feel the penny. "You're an amazing singer." Ariana blushes and pushes her hair behind her ear.

"Thanks," she giggles. He steps closer to her, closing the gap between them and reaches out to her. Her fingers come up and they're almost touching when the door bangs open, causing them to jump slightly and drop their hands.

"Ari!" Aaron calls, looking down at something in his hands. "I got you some ice for the bruises and two Advil…" she trails off, noticing Graham. Graham however, is looking at Ariana, worry in his eyes. _Advil? Ice?_ he wonders.

"Um, thanks Aaron," Ariana mumbles, looking away from Graham's eyes quickly. Not quickly enough, though. Graham caught her a second before she turned, and he's sure that he saw a flash of fear in those chocolate-brown eyes.

_Calm down,_ he thinks to himself. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions, but Graham doesn't like the way Ariana won't meet his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asks, because he has to. He needs to know. Aaron shoots Ariana a concerned glance and their eyes lock. Graham sees Ariana give a tiny, almost unnoticeable shake of her head.

"She fell… down the stairs this morning," Aaron says flatly. If the situation wasn't so serious, Graham would've laughed.

"Really?" he asks skeptically. He's staring persistently at Ariana's eyes, waiting for her to make eye contact with him. She continues to look away stoically, and so their staring match goes on until Aaron chooses drops down onto a seat with a huff.

"I'm just going to tell him, Ariana. He deserves to know." Graham finds himself instantly on high alert. The feeling only increases when Ari says,

"Okay, but I don't want to listen." Aaron nods at Ari's comment. Then he looks up at Graham who's still standing.

"So, three years ago…"

"_What kind of cake?" Aaron asks, sitting in front of his computer. He's video chatting Ariana and Frankie since he's grounded, and they wanted to bake a cake._

"_Funfetti!" Ariana giggles. Frankie nods and cracks an egg on the island countertop, dropping the insides into the mixing bowl. Suddenly, Aaron hears the front door bang open. A loud crash represents the breaking of the vase of flowers Ariana put up last spring. Mr. Butera storms in._

"_What the hell are you doing?" he growls. _

"_W-we're making a cake," Ariana whimpers her eyes wide. Mr. Butera knocks the bowl onto the floor, sending batter everywhere. Then he heads for Ariana, fire in his eyes. Aaron can't believe his eyes._

"_Stop," Frankie growls, stepping in front of Ariana. He puffs up his chest, trying to look tough, but the crack in his voice betrays his fear._

"_Get out of my way, boy," Mr. Butera sneers, shoving Frankie aside roughly. Frankie's head slams into the countertop, and he slumps down onto the floor, unconscious. Mr. Butera grabs Ariana and slams her against the wall she was cowering against._

"_Dad!" Ariana squeals. "Stop it!" She struggles out of his arms and grabs the large, wooden mixing spoon off of the floor and holds it up in front of her as a makeshift weapon. Mr. Butera laughs and yanks it out of her hands. Then he brutally strikes her across the cheek with it._

"_Ariana!" Aaron yells, hearing her cry out in pain. Mr. Grande's head whips around, hearing Aaron. His eyes lock with the startled boy's, then he swipes a meaty fist at the computer, sending it crashing to the floor. _

'_Osnapitzari has logged off.'_

"He's been abusing her ever since," Aaron concludes sadly.

"Why haven't you done anything? Why hasn't anyone called the police? This is wrong!" Graham growls, furious that his Ariana is suffering.

"She won't let me!" Aaron squeaks, shying away from Graham's rage. "Her mom doesn't work, and if her dad gets arrested, they'll have nowhere to live or anything. I would let her stay with me, but we're renting an apartment and it's really small. My house back home barely has room for my family as it is."

"And he would kill me," Ariana says in a small voice, standing up off of the stage. Graham turns to her, concern in his eyes. She looks small and fragile, and unshed tears shine in her eyes.

"Forget him," Graham spits. "You and your mom can stay with us. My mom loves you guys. We have space." Then his voice softens, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't think-"

"I'm serious. Please think about it. I really can't stand the thought of you living with someone that's dangerous." The tears that have been threatening to fall from Ariana's eyes finally streak down her cheeks. She steps towards Graham, and he engulfs her in a tight hug. His heart breaks and flutters at the same time.

"I'll tell my mom."


End file.
